Monthly Archives: March 2012

Art and Design at Key Stage 3 provides students with support, advice and information about their course and the subject and the skills, methods and materials that they will use. The book contains details of the requirements of the course, followed by a large number of projects which will build knowledge, understanding and skills.

The projects require students to look critically at other artists’ and designers’ work and then show evidence of a clear line of visual enquiry in art work. All projects cover the areas of exploring and developing ideas, investigating and making, reviewing, adapting and researching into the work of others, and making critical analyses of the work they review. Hand drawn illustrations are included.

The projects in Art and Design at Key Stage Three are divided into section by year group which are intended to be given as handouts to students. For example Year 7 covers Texture and Mark-making, Colour theory, Portraits, Mixed Media, and Ancient Egypt. There is also a comprehensive selection of extra lessons.

It is available as a copiable book (also available on CD Rom so that it can be loaded onto the school’s learning platform).

You can see a full list of the topics at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/art/T1711.pdf

Publisher’s reference: T1711EMN ISBN: 978 1 86083 791 3

Prices

Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery CD with school-wide rights: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery Both the Ring Binder and the CD £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery Prices include VAT. You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1711EMN

By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH By fax to 01536 399 012 On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=539

Guy Claxton will be leading the in-depth course What’s the Point of School? Cultivating Minds for Turbulent Times, May 7-11, 2012 at Schumacher College, Devon. Mention this email (code: HH01) when you book before the end of March and receive £50 off fully residential course fees.

How do we support learners as creatively as possible and meet our targets?

As part of the course, you will be able to review the evidence that shows that if you engage with this approach your school results go up. So not only can creative learning be engaging for both teachers and learners, it also has a positive effect on your statistics.

“Guy Claxton’s work gave us a framework which allowed us to really concentrate on what makes for good learning and crucially we found that it worked.” Stephen Jones, former Principal of King Edward VI Community College

Guy Claxton’s bestseller What’s the Point of School? was highly praised by Professor Howard Gardner, Sir Ken Robinson and Baroness Susan Greenfield. His practical Building Learning Power approach to creating learning cultures in schools has influenced youngsters’ lives throughout the UK as well as around the world. This course will also draw deeply on Guy’s ground-breaking new book The Learning Powered School: Pioneering 21st Century Education.

How can we build independence, resilience and imagination in our young people?

As teachers, we want young people to be confident and happy learners. As leaders, it is our challenge to ensure there is an education system and learning environment within schools to support this essential goal.

Guy Claxton is a world renowned authority on expandable intelligence; what it is, why it matters, and how to grow it. In May he comes to Schumacher College, an international college of transformative learning, to run a course for senior teachers and leaders in education.

How do we help young people understand the joys and frustrations of learning, preparing them for uncertainty in the world at large?

Guy will work with you to explore the philosophy, the learning science and the detailed practicalities behind the business of creating the learners and leaders of tomorrow.

Schumacher College focuses on interactive, experiential and participatory learning. Based on the creative and dynamic Dartington Estate, the College gives professionals the chance to reflect, engage and work with the challenges of the 21st century in a strategic and practical way.

For many years, a significant number of teachers and managers in the UK have enhanced both their income and their reputation by publishing one or more books.

Some have found this an interesting side-line while teaching, some have developed their writing during retirement, and some have had such success that they have moved from a successful career in teaching into a successful career in writing.

For many, the starting point is often to take one’s own teaching notes, worksheets, PowerPoint Presentations, managerial techniques, etc, and turn these into a book.

However, over the last 10 years this has become more difficult, simply because few literary agents and publishers seem to have any interest on taking on new authors.

Indeed, even writers who have had a number of books published in the past now find themselves struggling to find a traditional publisher.

But publication is still possible, if one understands that the world of publishing and the expectation of publishers have both changed. One simply has to approach the whole matter of writing and publishing in a different way.

To help make sense of this new world of publishing, the School of Professional Writing runs an on-line course which guides you through writing books and articles within this much changed world of writing and publishing. It covers both the development of books that an audience will buy (and therefore which publishers will want) and getting books published in the conditions that apply in this radically different market.

Through the course, which is taught on-line, you will have access to a tutor who worked as a head of department in a large comprehensive school before becoming a full-time professional writer.

The course covers many different types of writing – not just writing for the educational market. But if your prime interest is in writing books for the schools’ market you will also be able to receive, free of charge, an additional supplement to the course which focuses on writing and selling educational books and also offers you the chance to submit your work to an educational publisher that has helped develop this course.

This supplement is not advertised on the course’s website and is only available to those who specifically request it of their tutor once signed up.

The Diploma in Professional Writing is offered by the same team that has developed the courses in school administration and school efficiency that are offered by the School of Education Administration and who also run the Dyscalculia Centre which provides information and support on this subject to special needs teachers.

While schools will have greater flexibility in how ICT is taught in the curriculum from September, it also presents a major challenge: finding the time and resources to successfully implement new pedagogical changes.

Serif can help. They’re offering a completely free copy of Serif graphics software and teacher resources, so ICT will be easy to put into practice and exciting to learn.

Powerful, yet easy to use, Serif’s creative software inspires every pupil to produce professional-quality work while learning industry-relevant skills. And you can save time planning lessons with Serif’s flexible resources, which you can easily adapt into your own schemes of work.

Serif will send you free software and resources for:

Vector drawing Digital video editing Flash® animations Web design Desktop publishing Photo editing Serif’s resources are currently being updated to help support you with future changes in the curriculum and technology. These materials will be free of charge – even if you don’t hold a Serif software licence.

If there is one factor that is common to many primary school websites it is that once the site has been put up, it is generally forgotten by many people who work in the school.

In a sense this is quite reasonable. In your position in the school you expect to know what’s going on. If one of your colleagues institutes a change you expect to be sent a note or an email to that effect.

So you don’t really need to go to the website, but that can also be dangerous – for two reasons.

First, situations within your school can change, and so what is on the website can go out-of-date. Second, the way in which people look at your website will change.

Of course, if your school is in the process of a significant transition, for example, opening up a new nursery unit or introducing a new “learning in the environment” scheme, you will be thinking about changing the whole website to reflect these developments.

But you might forget that whereas five years ago very few parents would look at your site via a mobile device, now around half of parents do exactly this. And what they find is that many school websites do not look good when seen on a mobile device.

Therefore, we can also design a mobile app version of your website which parents can add to their mobile phones.

If you would like to talk about how your school can respond to these challenges of constant change via its website please do get in touch. You can find out more about us on http://www.inco-education.co.uk/article-what-makes-a-brilliant-school-website.php or, if you prefer, email us the details of your website, and your phone number (and let us know a convenient time to call) and we will come back to you with our thoughts on what changes we might suggest to your website.

Listening to Music Revision Activities is one of those books that does what it says – it covers everything in the syllabus and does it in a way that starts from the premise that the lessons have already been taught but the memory has faded just a bit.

What is also nice is the way in which the sections follow a set pattern so that you know exactly what to find and where to find it. Being photocopiable means one can just find the page needed, run it off, and there it is, revision preparation done.

The main body of the book describes the history of western music from 1200 today, and world music, and for each category sets out the characteristics of the music and the instruments used. There is also a section on listening activities followed by page after page after page of revision quizzes – in fact over 100 pages of photocopiable worksheets in all.

Sample pages can be viewed at http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/music/T1656.pdf

By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH On the phone with a school order number at 01536 399 011 By fax to 01536 399 012 On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=479

This 110 page revision guide is one of a series of low-cost downloads that has been produced for A level students. The guides are written for the Edexcel syllabus, but are usable by students following other courses too.

The booklet, which may be printed out and copied for all student to have, or which can be put onto the school learning platform, costs just £10 plus VAT. It includes revision notes and activities on energy insecurity, water conflict, biodiversity under threat, superpower geographies, bridging the development gap and technological fixes.

Throughout there are summaries of what the student needs to know, the key terms (supply shock, renewable resources, carbon credit etc etc), and numerous illustrations to help the student understand key points.

The aim throughout is to help the student get to the core of the matter and grasp the basic elements of the subject, building up his/her knowledge and certainty around the subject.

A typical page centres of the California Case Study which looks at why the USA has an energy crisis, and then from there, why California is suffering an energy crisis.

A2 Geography Revision Guide: unit 3 Contested Planet is published as a download so that you can receive immediately a copy onto your computer which you can print out for colleagues as often as you want. You can also put it on your school learning platform so all staff can access the document – and indeed you can make it part of the induction documentation for new members of staff.

The price is £10 plus VAT (the VAT can be reclaimed in most cases by the school).

A2 Geography Revision Guide: unit 3 Contested Planet is published by First and Best in Education, part of the Hamilton House group. If you have any enquiries you can call 01536 399 011, or email sales@firstandbest.co.uk or write to us at First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Rd., Corby, Northants NN17 4HH.

The full range of First and Best books can be seen at www.shop.firstandbest.co.uk

Indeed they sometimes struggle so much that it is possible to believe that these young people might be suffering from dyscalculia.

And yet at the same time it is obvious that they are not totally lacking in the field of mathematical concepts.

A typical case might involve someone who understands the concept of number, addition and subtraction, but is utterly lost when it comes to multiplication. Another student may have grasped most of the fundamentals but needs to go back over some points of detail.

It is to help such pupils and students that we have produced Dyscalculia Practice Activities– a copiable volume that brings together elements of our earlier three Dyscalculia Activities volumes.

While some pupils and students clearly need the in-depth help of a volume in the Dyscalculia Activities series, Dyscalculia Practice Activities is intended for those pupils and students who show dyscalculic tendencies but who are able to grasp some of the fundamental elements of basic maths.

Dyscalculia Practice Activities includes a huge range of projects for pupils and students who can benefit by working through the fundamentals for maths (the four functions, shapes, fractions, percentages and time) step-by-step in a multi-sensory manner.

The aim of the book is to encourage activity that puts the whole of the basic maths curriculum into a context that can then be used as the student progresses to more advanced work.

The volume consists of sessions in which a teacher or assistant teacher works with an individual or small group of individuals on the projects in a multi-sensory manner using coloured counters, cut-out shapes, memory cards and the like.

One of the great problems with low price laptops is that behind the headline price there can be some very annoying add-on prices.

For example, you’ll almost certainly want a three year warranty. But that can be expensive – especially when buying a whole set of machines. The recommended retail price is often over £70, while even the discounted price from some sources can be over £40 per machine.

Which is why we have focused on not only the lowest possible prices for the HP laptops that we sell but also the lowest price for all the add-ons. That means £12 for a three year warranty. That not only keeps your price down, but also reflects on just how good and reliable we think these machines are.

Or take the offer on HP/Symantec Norton Internet Security. A 3 Year License is £18 per user. Again a discount on the normal price of £90.

At the moment our best offer is for the HP 630 Intel Core I3 2gb or 6gb 320gb HD (see below for the full name of the machine).

It normally costs £499 but is currently on offer for £318. And in fact if you buy 10 or more that price comes down to £312 per machine.

The full description of the machine is the HP 630 A6G34ES Intel Core I3-370M 2GB 320GB DVDRW 15.6TFT HDMI BT CAM Win 7HP with option for extra 4gb RAM at only £18.

In order to receive this special discount for schools for any of the above products, all you need to do is call us on 08444 820 111 or email us at education@technoworld.com and quote “eshot offer 28”.

There are more details at http://www.technoworld.com/HP_630_A6G34ES/63912/product.aspx

Experience suggests that success in French speaking and listening exams comes in three ways. Obviously a well-grounded knowledge of the language is needed. But also the student needs confidence and the ability to use the knowledge of the language that he/she possesses.

Unlike most books that deal with speaking and listening, the copiable volume “How to get top marks for my French speaking and listening exams” deals with all three issues: knowledge, confidence and the application of knowledge in relation to Foundation and Higher Tiers GCSE and Core and Extended IGCSE French.

As the book stresses to students on the first page, “Success is deliberate.” In these exams, the author says, intonation, exam skills, and vocabulary are the key. Along with a real motivation to get better at speaking French.

And because motivation is considered so important, the book starts with exercises in motivational techniques. It may seem unusual that in the opening few phrases there is no French, but the fact is that without motivation and a sincere desire to pass the exam the student will not improve.

When the focus does move to the language, there is a constant focus on the nature of the task in hand. Listening is made a central part of the task in hand, and from here the work in French begins to flow.

In all there are 100 copiable pages, provided either as a copiable text or on CD Rom so that they can be loaded onto the school’s learning platform for all students to access.

The sheer variety and down to earth honesty of the book will enthuse the students, and they will particularly appreciate the section on “bluffing and improvising” which shows them how to deal with unknown words and phrases.

Indeed it is sections such as that, that enthuse the students to work in much greater depth and with much greater focus when they work through the dialogues.

This is a truly remarkable book.

How to get top marks for my French speaking and listening exams is available as a book or CD and comes with a full photocopy license for use of the book within your school so yiou can share it with colleagues. You can see a sample pages at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/modlang/T1780.pdf

Publisher’s reference: T1780EMN ISBN: 978 1 86083 815 6

Prices

Photocopiable book: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery CD with school-wide rights: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery Both the Book and the CD £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery Prices include VAT. You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1780EMN

By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH By phone to 01536 399011

By fax to 01536 399 012 On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=34&products_id=756

Enthusiasm is not always the first thing we think of when looking at the faces of KS3 pupils as they enter the room for a maths lesson.

And yet it is an easy emotion to achieve.

It happens like this. On the whiteboard waiting for the students is a “Cloud Starter picture”. This is effectively a game through which the students work in small groups and use any of the four operators to create a given number out of nine given numbers.

Then the students take it in turns to come to the board to share one of their ‘sums’. If a student gets ‘stuck’ showing their sum at the board, the others are encouraged to offer them ideas enhancing the co-operative ethos of these classes.

However this activity should not be thought of as just a simple introduction to the lesson. Using Cloud Starter leads to the students confidently using brackets, square and cube numbers, to arrive at the target. An example from one year eight class was 3 (4+5) + 2 (8-6) = 31.

This resource contains 16 powerpoint slides and is £29.99 + VAT.

Once purchased the CD can be freely copied and networked throughout the school.

To see sample pages please email sales@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code 10130.

You can order the Cloud Starters CD in any of these ways:

On our website By phone on 0117 940 6409 By fax on 0117 940 6408 By email (quoting a school order number) to sales@classroom-resources.co.uk By post to: Classroom Resources, PO Box 1489, Bristol, BS99 3QJ

You can print your own school signs up to A3 size using your laser printer Everyone knows that some students don’t read signs. But the fact is that signs that look professional and are easily readable and in the right place do help visitors, staff and students to find their way around.

Whether they are signs telling visitors where the reception desk is, signs pointing to particular rooms, signs on toilets, or indeed any other type of signs, the fact is that signs help everyone get to the right place more quickly than would otherwise be the case.

The main reasons why some schools don’t put up enough signs are cost and time.

Until now not only did you have to get quotes and then place the order (which may take a while to arrive), but you may even have the pleasure of paying a delivery charge on top of everything else.

Thankfully, this is no longer the case. Delivery time has come down to zero, and the cost has dropped beyond belief (and all while the quality has not been affected).

This is all achieved because it is now possible to print signs on your laser printer within school. The Quick-Mark Digital is a unique product that allows you to produce self-adhesive signs, panels and labels up to A3 size, on a standard office laser printer at an extremely low cost and with the highest quality.

All you need is some Quick-Mark Laser Film and Base Sheets and you can then print self-laminating, high quality self-adhesive labels, panels or signs. The signs are highly durable, the laser toner is always sub-surface, and you can work on metal or plastic Base Sheets producing a polycarbonate finish if needed.

There is more information on this unique printing system on our website – http://www.megauk.com/qmd_signs/

Alternatively, call us on 01223 893900 or email us at sales@megauk.com.

Many of the science teachers I have spoken to recently are surprised by the low grades their students have been receiving. With examinations just around the corner and time at a premium, teachers need a tried and tested method of school improvement.

Many schools are finding that SAM Learning has really helped with their exam results:

“SAM Learning does help with exam results; last year we gave it a massive push and we had one of the best years we’ve ever had!” Liz Davy, Head of Science, Norden High School

In fact, new research conducted by the Fischer Family Trust over the past six years shows SAM Learning is independently proven to raise GCSE grades:

Overall students achieve 2 GCSE grades better, on average, than expected with as little as 10 hours’ or more use. Free School Meal students gain 3.5 GCSE grades better, on average, than expected with as little as 10 hours’ or more use! Contact me directly on 0845 130 4160 or simply fill in this order form and fax it back to me to find out how we can make a measurable difference to your department.

One of the great problems with preparing for a crisis within a school is that the preparation can just seem to involve too much time.

Most of us recognise the fact that at some time or other our school could face an event that requires us to act quickly and assuredly when dealing with pupils, staff and parents, and of course the media.

Most schools recognise that to be able to do this they really need to undertake some training to ensure that all members of staff have the capacity to handle the situation well, in a controlled, sympathetic and confident manner.

But aren’t all the courses that offer such training long, complex and held elsewhere?

To help ensure that the school is equipped as and when a crisis situation arises, and to offer suitable training with a minimal amount of disruption to the school, we’ve introduced a new approach to crisis training which takes place on your schools premises.

It starts with an audit of the school’s existing crisis management systems (to ensure that they are legally compliant) and is followed by the training of the key members of staff so that they will know exactly what to do if something unfortunate occurs.

Thus, if and when something awful does happen the key members of staff can take control and work through the process, helping those involved, helping the children’s parents if need be, and helping the school manage the most difficult of circumstances.

World Poetry Day is celebrated on 21 March, and to coincide with that we are offering free copies of our e-book, “How to be Brilliant at Writing Poetry”, which normally sells for £10.99.

How to be Brilliant at Writing Poetry is written for Key Stage 2 classes and contains self-explanatory, ready-to-use photocopiable sheets that will inspire your pupils to create some fantastic poems. Each sheet is a self-contained activity, so it is easy to integrate them into your planning.

Whether your pupils are struggling to put pen to paper, lack inspiration or need practical help with developing a particular skill, such as making the poem scan or using similes and alliteration, you will find this book invaluable. Forms of poetry covered include limericks, haiku, riddles, cinquains and many more.

The open-ended activities provide pupils with a purpose for writing and help them to develop a clear sense of whom they are writing for. In this way, children will feel ownership of their poems and will want to share them with a wide audience, both in written and spoken form.

There are more details on the book and samples pages to download on our website at: https://www.brilliantpublications.co.uk/book/how-to-be-brilliant-at-writing-poetry-160.

You can obtain your free copy simply by joining the Brilliant Club! Not only will club membership entitle you to your free copy of this fantastic poetry resource, but you will also receive other free e-books and resources, news and special offers. Best of all, you don’t ever have to buy anything and you can leave any time you like.

To join the Club and get your free copy of How to be “Brilliant at Writing Poetry”, go to https://www.brilliantpublications.co.uk/the-brilliant-club, complete the form, and send it off. Sign up before World Book Day and your book of ideas will be with you in time for the event.

No matter how much we might wish it were otherwise, the four great social concerns about teenage behaviour (smoking, drinking, drug taking and experimentation with sex) ultimately come down to the matter of the individual’s choice.

The problem is of course that quite often the one person whom we would prefer not to have a choice in these matters is the teenager in question.

But choice it is in each case.

That’s the starting premise of ‘Choices for Teenagers’ a photocopiable book (which also comes on CD) which sets out a series of articles for pupils and students aged 10 to 16 in each of these topic areas.

Each article is followed by a set of case studies, and then there’s a set of classroom activities. Overall the aim is to have pupils look seriously at the potential consequences and to give them information on the help and support which is available and on where it can be found if needed. These topics are included in the curriculum requirements for PSHE at Key Stage 3.

There’s one other point to highlight about this book. Choices for Teenagers contains a wealth of facts and statistics, many of which may surprise students. And when youngsters think they know it all, surprise is sometimes a very good tactic to introduce.

Choices for Teenagers is available as a book or CD and comes with a full photocopy license for use of the book within your school so yiou can share it with colleagues. You can see a sample pages at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/pshe/T1681.pdf

Publisher’s reference: T1681EMN ISBN: 978 1 86083 750 0

Prices

Photocopiable book: £19.95 plus £3.95 delivery CD with school-wide rights: £19.95 plus £3.95 delivery Both the Book and the CD £26.94 plus £3.95 delivery Prices include VAT. You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1681EMN

By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH By phone to 01536 399011

By fax to 01536 399 012 On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=40&products_id=496

Safeguarding specialist, SAFE CIC, has some exciting free apps, training courses, new services and news bulletins planned for the next two quarters and we would hate for you to miss out. News of these will be circulated by Twitter and Facebook and we would like you to follow us and in return you will be entered into our free prize draw where one lucky follower will win an iPad tablet.

All you need to do is one of the following:

Join our mailing list by filling out the box at www.safecic.co.uk or Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/safecic or Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SAFEchildUK Of course if you want to do more than one of the above we would really appreciate it.

Please feel free to forward this to anyone you feel might be interested in safeguarding.

Terms & Conditions

Opening/closing date & time: Competition opens on Monday 12th March 2012 and closes on Friday 30th March 2012 at 5.30 p.m. Competition draw date: Tuesday 10th April 2012. Method of entry: Go to http://www.twitter.com/safecic and/or http://www.facebook.com/SAFEchildUK and click ‘Follow Us’ for Twitter and ‘Like Us’ for Facebook.Entrants may enter the competition only once for each social media mechanism. Prize: The prize is a brand new Apple iPad. The winner will be notified by email and details will also published on the website at www.safecic.co.uk either on the homepage or under the news section. The iPad will be delivered to the winner as soon as it becomes available. No cash alternative is available. E&OE Winners of last month’s online training places were Donna Cousins, CARE UK; Paul, Vision Homes; and Riajna Begum, Wednesbury Oak Sandwell School.

In our experience, when it comes to getting children to be more creative it’s not always as simple as just asking them to “be creative”.

One of the main problems with this approach is that while it may result in children writing stories that are unusual, it does not, however, result in them taking a step forwards in terms of their creative writing. Originality alone is not the key to bringing writing to life and improving the quality of the story.

In order for children to bring their writing to life, there are a number of skills they need to master.

To help with this we have produced a set of books that explore these skills and offer activities and exercises that children can use to improve their creative writing – ‘Developing Skills for Writing’ covers levels 2, 3 and 4.

The books contain sentence and text level activities which explore exactly how ‘powerful verbs’ can be used effectively, how ‘connectives’ can be used to signal time, how to compose ‘complex sentences’, how to use adjectives to create detail etc. In fact there’s a whole range of skills to move children’s writing on from National Curriculum Level 2 to Level 4.

Developing Skills for Writing uses, throughout the series, a multisensory approach to teaching, including word games, role play and oral activities covering all frequently used punctuation and grammar skills. Clear lesson plans explain every activity. A ‘Helping Hand’ is used to remember key facts and where possible, optional worksheets focus on boys’ interests.

Free sample pages are available from our website. Click here for level 2, here for level 3 and here for level 4.

If you would like to know more please call 01772 863158 Or email us at enquiries@topical-resources.co.uk You can order in any of these ways:

Online at the above web links By phone on 01772 863158 By fax on 01772 866153 By email to Sales@topical-resources.co.uk By post to Topical Resources, P.O. Box329, Broughton, Preston, Lancashire PR3 5LT

The educational benefit of school visits far outweighs the risk but you do need to think about and prepare for the worst.

Of course visits are excellent, interesting, exciting and memorable events.

But occasionally, just occasionally, something can go wrong – and if that does happen then you and the school will need to act quickly and assuredly when dealing with pupils, staff and parents, and of course the media.

Most Heads of Department and school management recognise that to be able to do this they really do need some training to ensure that everyone handles the situation well, appearing controlled, sympathetic and confident – all at the same time.

To help ensure that the school is equipped as and when the situation arises, and to offer suitable training with a minimal amount of disruption to the school, we’ve introduced a new approach to crisis training.

It starts with an audit of the school’s existing crisis management systems (to ensure that they are legally compliant) and is followed by the training of the key members of staff so that they will know exactly what to do if something unfortunate occurs.

Thus if and when something awful does happen the key members of staff can take control and work through the process, helping those involved, helping the children’s parents if need be, and helping the school manage the most difficult of circumstances.

Research has shown that by giving children support, encouragement and help with their communication and language at the foundation stage, their communication skills are much better than those of children who have not experienced this.

With the inevitable focus on increasing children’s achievement and the new payment by results, it is crucial that you have resources that can help you to develop and improve children’s communication and language.

Furthermore, the funding regime in England for two year olds means that your staff must have the skills and knowledge to develop communication skills with these children and to work with their parents so that the progress continues at home.

To help with this important area of communication and language we have developed a major collection of accessible resources for Sure Start Children’s Centres.

These materials ensure that practitioners have the knowledge and skills necessary to support communication and language and to cultivate collaborative relationships with parents.

The resources describe the different elements of communication and language and outline what good practice looks like. They also show how Sure Start Children’s Centres can empower parents so they can interact with their children to develop communication and language skills.

There is also a pack to help teams of early years practitioners to understand, reinforce and enable the development of speech, communication and language in their group or setting.

I CAN’s resources include progress checks that can be shared with parents for early identification of difficulties and also can be to support the reporting to parents of children aged between 24 and 36 months. They also show the way in which everyday activities can be used as opportunities for enhancing communication skills.

I do hope you will consider introducing these techniques and approaches in your centre.

This book will enable pupils to become familiar and competent at using ‘SolidWorks’ CAD software.

This book contains a number of projects suitable for Key Stage 3 and as a revision guide for pupils in Key stage 4. They will use CAD (Solidworks) to develop their designs solution and be aware of the many advantages and dis-advantages that such software has in the real world. It enables them to quickly get up to speed with using such a complex piece of software and, most importantly, allows them to become competent in designing better products.

Pupils will become familiar with the range of sketch tools and features available. They will be shown step by step how to build a Frisbee, Lego Block, Memory pen, IPOD Nano and a Digital camera. They will also be shown how to assemble parts step-by-step.

Solidworks Projects for KS3 and KS4 is published as a download so that you can receive immediately a copy onto your computer which you can print out for colleagues as often as you want. You can also put it on your school learning platform so all members of your department can access the document. YOu can view sample pages at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/authordownloadsamples/T1781samples.pdf

You can obtain Solidworks Projects for KS3 and KS4 by going to http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=76_114&products_id=754

The price is £10 plus VAT (the VAT can be reclaimed in most cases by the school).

Solidworks Projects for KS3 and KS4 is published by First and Best in Education, part of the Hamilton House group. If you have any enquiries you can call 01536 399 011, or email sales@firstandbest.co.uk or write to us at First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Rd., Corby, Northants NN17 4HH.

For over thirty years we have been offering all aspects of Sound, Stage Lighting, Curtains and Staging for any size performance space, from primary school halls through to large drama studios in secondary schools and colleges.

Visit our website for a wealth of information and buy online, with most orders delivered next day.

Use these codes for discounts on purchases from our online shop:

HLAM10 for 10% off theatre lamps HFILT10 for 10% off coloured filter HMAKE10 for 10% off stage makeup

If you have a book that you have written or are about to write and which is aimed at schools, we’d like to hear from you.

We recently launched a new series of school books which are sold as downloads – meaning that teachers who are interested come on-line and download the book onto their computer. They are then free to print off as many copies as they like.

If you have a book and would like us to consider it please email the book, or an extract of it, in either Word or as a PDF file, to Anne@firstandbest.co.uk For more information please click here

For many teachers, the pre-release element of the OCR GCSE is a particularly demanding area to teach. The need to relate the unit theory to a highly specialised context requires many hours of careful research by teachers before they are in a position to support their students.

The essential Pre-Release Resource Pack from ZigZag Education puts everything into context, at the same time taking all the pressure off the teacher.

Not only does it provide comprehensive theory notes, recap questions and research links for every bullet point on the pre-release material, but it also includes a full practice paper with mark scheme – ideal for a mock exam.

See every page online before you buy at zigzag.at/UM31 (click on the Preview button)

Here are a few comments from ICT teachers who have been using the resource pack:

‘An invaluable resource…Closely matches the specification and gives accessible information for each bullet point in the pre-release. The range of content and activities incorporated mean that the resource can be used both in the lesson and for independent study…I am sure that many centres teaching this specification will purchase this.’ (J McKenzie, Head of ICT, independent reviewer) ‘This is an excellent resource…definitely something that I would use with my students studying this topic. There is nothing that I dislike with the resource. It takes away some of the guesswork as to what will be in the exam.’ (G Millbery, experienced ICT author & senior examiner, independent reviewer) ‘The resource has it all… Contains a lot of detail and covers everything well… lots of questions for each section (with answers), and also some exam-style questioning… If this doesn’t help the kids pass, I’m not sure what will!’ (W Goodwin, ICT Teacher, independent reviewer)

101 Ways will enable your students to prepare thoroughly for first job or college interviews and help them to manage any nerves. They can dip into chapters that will help them brush up on specific bits of preparation, or use it as a workbook from start to finish as a complete guide to being successful at interviews.

This book has been written by an experienced recruiter who both trains recruiters and helps inexperienced interviewees of all ages. Each chapter covers a different aspect of the interview process with 101 practical and thought provoking tips that have been proven to work.

Teachers may also use this book as a class resource in Careers, English, Drama, PSHE, Citizenship or other lessons to prepare pupils for interview practices or the real thing. Each chapter is followed by a series of suggested exercises, mostly working in pairs or small groups, which develop the key themes of that chapter.

Good adverts always grab attention, encourage debate and spark the imagination. As such they make excellent resource material for Business Studies, but finding the right campaigns, images or video clips to support business theories and concepts can sometimes be difficult and time consuming.

Here at the History of Advertising Trust we manage the largest advertising and brand heritage resource of its kind in the world. We have tens of thousands of stimulating and instructive advertising images and TV commercials, print and other media available for study, including advertising campaign plans, research and evaluation, original artwork, posters, point of sale promotions and direct mail, dating back some 200 years.

We are now publishing regular free bulletins entitled ‘Advertising in Education’ which contain informative news stories and features from our advertising collections, articles relevant to curriculum topic areas, suggestions for use in the classroom as well as providing access to various resources.

Editable, this worksheet can be used again during exam revision – just change the scenario!

Regards,

The Boardworks Psychology team

P.S. Featuring comprehensive glossaries, mapping grids and teacher’s notes, Boardworks AS Psychology provides a wealth of material to support your teaching throughout the year. To find out more, order your free sample disc. www.boardworks.co.uk/order-sample-disc/505

There’s little doubt that laser cutters have positively changed the outcome and expectations of students within the design technology curriculum.

What’s more, many schools have found that a 3D router is a beneficial extension to this technology, mainly due to their ability to work on large scale projects and with thicker, more durable materials.

As a result, the manufacture of real or full size project pieces such as furniture is a rewarding experience, encompassing a true to life manufacturing experience.

The cost of a large scale router can be more expensive than a medium format laser cutter. However we have one exhibition model Suregrave Gryphon (1220 x 610 mm), available on a first come first served basis.

The price has been reduced by a third on the exhibition Gryphon router (usual price £14,995) making the price £10,000 plus VAT.

You might also be interested in knowing that Trotec machines can be purchased outright or through our special finance for schools package which can spread the cost over and up to five years.

Additionally, you can keep the Gryphon covered against breakdown for the cost of an annual service for £499 anywhere in the UK mainland.

Do your table tennis bats last for a term? A month? A week? We have a solution that lasts much longer and we will even send you a free sample.

We understand the problem. It’s simply too tempting for the children to pick at the rubber that covers the wooden blade whilst waiting for their turn to play. Tempting it may be, but in no time at all, the bat is rendered useless and confined to the rubbish bin.

So, how do we solve the problem?

By switching from traditional table tennis bats to the Tacteo range of composite bats from Cornilleau.

But what about the playing performance I hear you ask?

Fear not. The Tacteo 30 Schoolsport bat from Cornilleau is the answer to the problem. The bats are shock resistant with a solid core and non-detachable covering. They are ergonomic, comfortable to use and the new Grip+ covering ensures a great playing performance.

At a special schools rate of £33 for a box of 6 and FREE delivery, they represent great value for money. And if you need to be further convinced then we would be happy to send you a sample free of charge.

As the market leader in table tennis, we also have the full range of Cornilleau table tennis equipment available.

The first ten minutes of any lesson is the period when the student’s attention is at its highest. So everything done during that period will have an additional impact.

This of itself is good. But when that impact leads to extra confidence in maths, it is even better.

One of the most effective ways of utilising the opening ten minutes and developing confidence is to use the whiteboard to present students with a range of revision questions drawn from across the syllabus. Within this process, known as a Brain Gym, the students then work in small groups of two or three to evolve the right answer.

Working in this way gives students time to process the answers so it’s not always about who can answer the question first. Rather the students can listen to each other and can all become engaged no matter what their abilities are.

After the results of the students’ work are in, you can see if there is any general misconception among the students about any point tested, and from this you’ll know of any areas of the syllabus you need to revisit.

Many of the processes within each ‘gym’ are found in several concepts of the KS3 Scheme of Work and can bring about a noticeable change in pupils’ confidence in their use of fractions, percentages, and division and multiplication skills.

This resource uses Microsoft Excel and has twelve gyms for each month. The price is £39.99 + VAT.

Once purchased the CD can be freely copied and networked throughout the school.

To see sample pages please email sales@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code 10129.

You can order the Brain Gym CD in any of these ways:

On our website By phone on 0117 940 6409 By fax on 0117 940 6408 By email (quoting a school order number) to sales@classroom-resources.co.uk By post to: Classroom Resources, PO Box 1489, Bristol, BS99 3QJ

It’s True – You Really Can Reduce Behaviour Problems in Your Classroom in the Next 7 Days with This Solution-Packed Classroom Management Course – And It’s 100% FREE

Is the behaviour in your classroom getting you down? Is it preventing you from doing the job you used to love? Are you finding yourself spending too much time and energy dealing with noisy, inattentive, disruptive students who ignore your instructions?

For the last four years Behaviour Needs have been creating a quiet revolution in classrooms around the world by empowering teachers with highly practical classroom management strategies and resources to manage and improve student behaviour, and now YOU can use these strategies in your own classroom for free.

Whether you’re a teacher, lecturer or other education professional we have a unique approach which can measurably improve your ability to succeed with even the most challenging (and vulnerable) young people.

The mini-course explains exactly how to quickly and easily REDUCE inappropriate behaviour and manage problems more effectively by creating an environment in which students WANT to behave for you.

You’ll also learn…

FIVE tried and tested ways to make sure students LISTEN TO and FOLLOW your instructions
An easy way to achieve 100% consistency when dealing with your students
Six steps any teacher can use to get disruptive students back on task
How to instantly get attention from noisy students
How a special notice on your classroom wall can get your challenging students behaving appropriately without you needing to say anything at all
To get your FREE copy of the Classroom Management Mini-Course – and start changing the behaviour in your classroom RIGHT NOW – just click the link below:

Click Here to Get Your Free Mini-Course

IMPORTANT: We only have 350 copies to give away and once they are gone the free offer will be closed. Make sure you get your free copy right now; I’d hate you to miss out.

Well yes, it really is true ! With 384 pages and a clear, easy to read typeface, the “New Choice” dictionary is an excellent choice for your KS 3,4 and GCSE students. It’s the normal paperback size (196 x 128 mm) and costs only £ 1.99 So where do the free copies come in ? Simple. Just order 100 or more copies and you’ll get 50% extra free of charge. Order 200 and you’ll get another 100 copies free. There’s no limit to the quantity you can order and you’ll always get an extra 50% free with orders over 100 copies. What’s more you can get the same deal with the “New Choice” Thesaurus which is also £ 1.99. In fact you can combine your free copies to include both dictionary AND thesaurus eg. Order 100 dictionaries and 100 thesauri and you could get 100 dictionaries or 100 thesauri free…or 80 dictionaries and 20 thesauri free. It’s your choice ! You can order direct from Signpost Educational Ltd and contact them at signpost@talk21.com or phone 020 7515 1797 or visit their website: www.signposteducational.co.uk

RALLY THE TROOPS, ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES AND GET BUILDING! 2012, the year where we are all being encouraged to get outside and interact with our community – from sporting events and activities drawn from the Olympics to street parties and celebrations for The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. As a result, and in keeping with Mr Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ plans, Fawns Playtime is launching the new ‘DIY Play’ brand which will see community spirit surge!

The launch of the new ‘DIY Play’ brand is a range of Fawns’ existing play equipment which can be purchased and installed by the schools themselves – while making them a potential saving of up to 35%.

Fawns, who will be launching the ‘DIY Play’ brand at the forthcoming Education Show, have recognised the ongoing need for schools to improve and renew their outdoor play spaces while coping with dwindling funds and grants. However with so much emphasis being placed on communities pulling together, in some cases gaining local support can swing a grant application, Fawns have also acknowledged that many schools have an outstanding resource available to them, namely parents and members of the community, who have the skills to help pull the project together and install play equipment to create a play area for their children.

James Gowans, Head of Sales for Fawns’ comments: “This is a great opportunity for schools to pull whole communities together in amazingly worthwhile projects that could result in the transformation of outdoor areas which can be ultimately benefited by children, not just pupils of the school but from the local area too – while saving the school considerable amounts of money.”

So if you supply the elbow grease and a few basic tools, spades, buckets, wheel barrows, and oodles of enthusiasm, Fawns will provide the equipment. Including top quality play grade timber from sustainable sources – which comes with guarantees of up to fifteen years – highly durable HDPE, and all the required fixings, instructions and materials as well as one of Fawns’ experienced contracts team supervisors to oversee the project.

Fawns will even generate drawings and visuals to work to in advance, give you an indication of timescales and offer advice on the best way to go about such a project.

James concludes: “Imagine the feel good factor of pulling together the school family to create something so worthwhile and beneficial to the school, something the parents will see every day as a reminder of their hard work.”

The launch of Fawns’ ‘DIY Play’ brand coincides with the introduction of a new grant which has been made available – a £1million fund to help reinvigorate Queen Elizabeth II Fields Funds – part of the SITA Trust. The programme is part of the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge, a fantastic campaign to protect 2012 outdoor recreational spaces in communities all across the country as a permanent living legacy of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, led by the Fields in Trust and HRH the Duke of Cambridge.*

Nearly every field of employment, across every industry, is dependent on digital technology. Within the creative and media industries, advertising has had to adapt to the rapid development of digital technology, and now digital media is integral to a vast array of advertising campaigns.

Advertisements can be used in the classroom in a multitude of ways, from sparking a discussion about changes in attitudes to gender and race, to introducing students to generic conventions or key aspects of textual analysis and media theory. Covering a whole campaign across multiple media-platforms allows you to deliver learning about complex issues such as audience and ideologies while ensuring that your students have a clear understanding of the multi-faceted media world they are all very much a part of.

The History of Advertising Trust has developed an online digital advertising case study, full of examples of real advertising campaigns and multi-use classroom resources, to help you to support your students in their creative and media learning.

The focus of this resource case study is Lynx, Unilever’s number one male personal care brand, used by over 80% of its target audience (18 to 25 year old men). The case study demonstrates how advertising the Lynx brand has changed with the development of digital media, and how the brand continues to communicate a single, clear message to its target audience, despite using a wide mix of media channels.

Covering mass media distribution, fragmented audiences, personalisation and more, you will be able to use the case study to develop your own teaching material and download the videos and examples for use in the classroom. You will see how Lynx successfully embedded the product within their target audience’s lifestyle through the varied use of mobile phone and Facebook apps, interactive online games, social networking and bespoke websites. View interviews with the advertising agency team responsible for the campaigns to get their opinions on how advertising a brand has changed since the advent of digital and social media and bring your students closer to the real workplace.

Designed to save you time and effort developing lesson plans, at £30 this online resource represents great value for money as it is simple to purchase, quick and easy to download, and adaptable for use in a variety of different ways in the classroom.

It’s True – You Really Can Reduce Behaviour Problems in Your Classroom in the Next 7 Days with This Solution-Packed Classroom Management Course – And It’s 100% FREE

Is the behaviour in your classroom getting you down? Is it preventing you from doing the job you used to love? Are you finding yourself spending too much time and energy dealing with noisy, inattentive, disruptive students who ignore your instructions?

If so, you’ll be very interested in this FREE classroom management mini-course from Behaviour Needs Ltd

For the last four years Behaviour Needs have been creating a quiet revolution in classrooms around the world by empowering teachers with highly practical classroom management strategies and resources to manage and improve student behaviour, and now YOU can use these strategies in your own classroom for free.

Whether you’re a teacher, lecturer or other education professional we have a unique approach which can measurably improve your ability to succeed with even the most challenging (and vulnerable) young people.

The mini-course explains exactly how to quickly and easily REDUCE inappropriate behaviour and manage problems more effectively by creating an environment in which students WANT to behave for you.

You’ll also learn…

FIVE tried and tested ways to make sure students LISTEN TO and FOLLOW your instructions An easy way to achieve 100% consistency when dealing with your students Six steps any teacher can use to get disruptive students back on task How to instantly get attention from noisy students How a special notice on your classroom wall can get your challenging students behaving appropriately without you needing to say anything at all To get your FREE copy of the Classroom Management Mini-Course – and start changing the behaviour in your classroom RIGHT NOW – just click the link below:

Click Here to Get Your Free Mini-Course

IMPORTANT: We only have 350 copies to give away and once they are gone the free offer will be closed. Make sure you get your free copy right now; I’d hate you to miss out.

Varied and engaging student activities, with a special focus on analysing the selection linguistically. Key linguistic concepts are introduced through concise notes. Linked activities provide the opportunity for students to apply them.

“The activities for students are excellent – varied, enhancing their experience & expertise, and written in an authoritative style. Addresses the demands of ELLA3 in a straightforward & very accessible way.” M Hodson, Private English Tutor, Independent Reviewer

Supports every text of the selection, including 26 original ELLA3 examination-style questions and 5 real student answers with commentaries. Introduces the examination requirements in student-friendly language Builds up examination skills throughout, including planning grids for optimal preparation As with all ZigZag resources, you can be confident of the highest standards. All resources go through a rigorous process of teacher reviews, proofreading and professional styling before reaching you. ZigZag resources can be purchased as ‘copy masters’ or in digital format and come with a site licence, allowing you to pay once and copy as often as you need, or put on your server for multiple use.

For a preview of the entire resource and to order, see: zigzag.at/House

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The ‘A House Somewhere: Complete Activity and Examination Pack’ is available as Photocopy masters, PDF files and editable Word files.

You can order (reference UM94 when placing your order for FREE postage)

By phone: 0117 950 3199 By post: ZigZag Education, Unit 3, Greenway Business Centre, Doncaster Road, Bristol BS10 5PY By fax: 0117 959 1695 By email: english-um94@zigzageducation.co.uk Via the website: zigzag.at/um94 Details of all English resources are given at zigzag.at/um94

‘This is a lesson plan that I have used many times at KS4 (although it can also work well with KS3 classes). It is very useful for creating lots of quick ideas and injecting pace into lessons. I have also found it is a good way to avoid students being too ‘precious’ with their work.’

Art teacher Lizzie Allen has written a lesson plan for you to use with your KS4 Art students, introducing them to the techniques needed to record observations using monoprinting.

Getting students to start with short ‘timed monoprints’, Lizzie’s lesson aims to free up students’ observational drawings through experimentation. Students then move on to creating more detailed monoprints, using different tools and marks, whilst creating their own ‘criteria for success’.

To download the lesson plan and the free Boardworks slides, go to: www.boardworks.co.uk/art–design_726

Regards,

The Boardworks Art & Design team

P.S. The interactive monoprinting activity included in the free presentation allows students to explore and practise skills before applying them in their practical work. To find out more about the range of skills-based activities that feature throughout Boardworks Art resources, order your free sample disc today: www.boardworks.co.uk/order-sample-disc/505

Not only can you order your basic and scientific calcs from Casio, Logik, Sharp and Texet, but you can also equip your students with geometry sets (in clear cases and in metal tins) as well as our handy clear plastic zip wallets.

Basic calcs from only £1.29, GCSE calcs from only £2.97 (ex vat) (available at these prices while stocks last).

Casio FX 83GT Plus, FX 85GT Plus, FX 991GT plus the full range of LOGIK scientific calcs, all with a THREE year guarantee.

You’re welcome to give us a call on 020 7515 1797 or view our website: www.signposteducational.co.uk